Lock for stencil-plates



(ModeL) W. M. HARRIS.

LOOK FOR STENGIL PLATES. No. 275,205. Patented ApI.3, 1883.

Inv 01 0%)" UNITED STATES PATENT OFF cE.

WILLIAM M. HARRIS, 0F MENLO, IOWA.

LOOK FOR STENCIL-PLATES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,205, dated April 3, 1883.

Application flied December 2, 1882. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. HARRIS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Menlo, in the county of Guthrie and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stencil-Plate Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in locks for stencil-plates; and it consists in providing a stencil-plate with a lock which is formed on the right and left hand sides of the plate, which is produced by folding or rolling the metal upon itself spirally, and then flattening the folds, so that the metal will be bent upon itself, so as to form a lock which will hold the plates together against lateral displacement, without the use of abutting shoulders or projecting wings, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the annexed drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my improved stencil-lock, which is enlarged to better show the bends and folds. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the stencil-plates united, and Fig. 3 is an end view of the same.

A represents the sections forming the stencil-plates proper, which are made of thin sheet metal, each plate having cut thereon a letter, figure, or characterin the usual manner. Each of these plates is bent or rolled upon itself, so that when bent the outer edge of the plate will form the inner part of the spiral, which is a continuation of the plate. The right-hand edge of the plates or stencils, at the portion to which they are connected with the bends forming the lock, are bent or shaped so as to form a cyrna-recta curve, as shown at a, which terminates in a horizontal portion, b, which is connected to the lower horizontal portion, 0, by a semicircular bend, d. The lower portion,'c, is then bent upwardly, the semicircular curved portion e being of less diameter than the curve d, so that the horizontal terminal f will lie between the upperand lower horizontal portions, as shown. The left-hand edges of each of the plates A are bent upwardly, as shown at 01', forming the horizontal portion a, which is bent back upon itself, so as to provide the grooved portion 6, which terminates in the horizontal portion f. The bends of the lock are of such distance apart as to admit the plates being slipped into and upon each other, as shown. To connect the sections together the end of one plate is placed against the end of the adjacent section, so that the upper portion of the left-hand plate, I), will lie over the upper portion, 0, of the right-hand plate, and the ends should lie one upon the other. The sections are then moved in the direction of their length, which unites the parts to each other.

' This lock prevents lateral displacement of the plates, and ends f and f, abutting against the curved portions 6 and e, prevent displacement in one direction, and the curved portions d and d, abutting against the curved ends of the lock 6 and c, in the other direction.

It will be noticed in my invention that 1 require only a small amount of metal to form this look, and, by the construction of the same as hereinbefore described, I avoid all sharp bends, which tend to weaken the lock, and which will catch and hold the ink and gum up the same.

I am aware that prior to my invention stencil-plates have been bent so as to form a lock in which the metal has been folded over and back upon itself, and then under the project ing portion of the adjacent plate and back upon itself, and again bent outwardly, so as to form a projecting tongue, the parts being held together when slipped upon each other; but this look is objectionable, owing to the sharp bends, projections, and tongue, which is liable to be broken, and the large amount of material employed in its construction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a stencil-plate lock, the plate A, having the right and left hand edges folded upon itself in opposite directions, the terminal portions being within the folds, substantially as In testimony whereof I affix my signature in shown. presence of two witnesses.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a section, A, of a stencil-plate, bent at one edge, so WILLIAM M. HARRIS. 5 as to provide the raised portion a and folded or curved portions b d 0 e and end f, the oppo- Witnesses: site edge being folded or grooved in' an oppo- JOHN M. HARRIS, site direction, substantially as shown. CHARLES C. PUGH. 

